Gold is a unique metal with an unmistakable brilliance and irresistible allure, and it has fascinated and entranced humans since the dawn of time.
Unsurprisingly, this intrinsically beautiful substance is also endowed with rich spiritual significance and power, and in this post, we look at the details as we discuss gold spiritual meaning.
Gold Spiritual Meanings
1. The sun
Due to its bright, radiant color, gold has long been seen as symbolic of the sun and all that it stands for in various cultures throughout the ages.
When it rises in the morning, the sun chases away the darkness, bringing light, energy and warmth to the world, and as such, it has been revered from time immemorial.
Gold is also imbued with the same spiritual power and is used to represent the glory and life-giving force of the sun.
The sun is also symbolic of spring and summer, times of rebirth and plenty, happiness and exuberance, and gold can be used to represent these aspects of the sun as well.
This means that wearing gold jewelry can bring you the power of the sun, endowing you with vitality, joy, strength and positive energy, picking up your mood and bringing light to your day.
2. Wealth, status and power
Gold has long been associated with wealth as well as status and power – it is no coincidence that crowns for kings and queens are traditionally made of gold.
People wear gold to display their riches and success, and gold is highly symbolic of these ideals.
Although many people find ostentatious displays of wealth through wearing excessive amounts of gold distasteful, the correlation gold has with power and wealth is deeply ingrained in our collective psyche.
This means that dreams involving gold are also likely to have interpretations related to these ideas.
For example, a dream of gold could be an omen that you are about to come into some money or that you are destined to become a highly successful person.
Alternatively, it could be a reflection of your desire for money and power, something that constantly drives you forward to achieve your goals.
3. Greed, desire and corruption
Although gold is inextricably linked to wealth and status, the other side of this is that it is also connected to greed, desire and corruption.
Gold – and the wealth it represents – has seduced and corrupted countless people throughout history, and there are many stories and cultural references to this.
For example, the legend of King Midas is a well-known cautionary tale.
In the story, Midas is granted a wish, and through his greed, he asks that whatever he touches be turned to gold. At first, he is happy with his new powers and sets about turning various objects into this valuable metal.
However, later, when his food, drink and even his daughter are turned to gold by his touch, he regrets his wish and the greed that caused him to request it.
Stories like this help remind us that there are many things in life that are more important than gold and riches, and some people may wear a small, inconspicuous piece of gold jewelry to remind themselves of this.
Similarly, meditating with a piece of gold in your hand while focusing on this idea can help you come to understand and accept its truth more fully.
4. Perfection
Gold is the king of metals, and it is seen as a symbol of perfection.
When people win events at the Olympics, they are rewarded with gold medals, and gold’s status as a kind of zenith is also reflected in expressions such as “gold standard” and “golden ratio”.
This means gold can also be worn as jewelry or incorporated into spiritual rituals to represent this ideal.
Although nobody can ever reach perfection, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t always strive towards it in everything we do.
To remind you of this, you may choose to wear a gold bracelet or a gold necklace or chain to encourage you to always do your best, to pursue your goals with determination and dedication and to always try to be the best person you can through your thoughts and your acts.
5. Love and fidelity
This strikingly beautiful metal is also a well-known symbol of love as well as of fidelity.
In Western culture, in many countries, it is traditional to exchange gold rings during a wedding ceremony to symbolize the couple’s love and mutual devotion. At the same time, it also represents their promise to remain faithful to one another for the rest of their lives.
In Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, golden crowns are placed on the couple’s heads, with similar symbolism.
6. Health and healing
Gold is believed to have powerful healing properties, and at one time, it was even consumed as a kind of medicine, perhaps in the belief that something so beautiful and seemingly magical could only do good to the patient’s health.
Nowadays, this practice is no longer followed, but gold still has some medicinal applications.
Some gold salts are known to have anti-inflammatory capabilities and are included in medication for rheumatoid arthritis.
Gold is also filled with powerful positive spiritual energy, and this gives it health-bringing properties.
The positive energy from gold can protect you against negativity, helping keep your body in good health. The body needs positive energy to heal itself after illness too, so wearing gold may also help speed up your recovery after sickness.
7. Immortality
Since it is among the least reactive of all the elements and doesn’t rust, gold is symbolic of immortality as well as the eternal nature of the universe and the spirit. Because of this, by contrast, it also serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of human existence.
For these reasons, using a gold object as a point of focus during meditation can be a powerful aid to help you explore these ideas, allowing you to gain greater spiritual insights and psychic understanding.
8. Purity and incorruptibility
Due to these same qualities, gold can be used as a symbol of purity and incorruptibility – even though, as we have seen, in other contexts, it is symbolic of avarice and corruption.
You can wear a piece of gold jewelry to represent purity of thought or the spirit.
Gold can remind you not to allow your being to become polluted by emotions such as anger or jealousy, and when you feel these feelings begin to stir within, you can place your hand on the gold, close your eyes and mentally push them away again.
9. The divine
According to many religions around the world and at various times, gold has been seen as having a strong connection to the divine.
In ancient Egypt, gold was considered to be the flesh of the gods, and the Aztecs also believed that gold came from the gods.
Gold appears many times in the Bible, too. The Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments was coated in gold, and in the Book of Revelation, New Jerusalem is said to have streets of pure gold.
In the New Testament, one of the magi even brought gold to the baby Jesus, a fitting gift for the Son of God – and in Christian art, God and the angels are often depicted with golden halos.
In Hinduism, too, gold is seen as being connected to the divine. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity is also closely associated with gold.
10. Spiritual development and enlightenment
Gold is seen as being symbolic of spiritual development.
In Buddhism, gold symbolizes enlightenment, and it is also used in many statues of the Buddha – including the Golden Buddha in Wat Traimit in Bangkok Thailand, which weighs 5.5 tons and is worth a staggering $250 million.
In some places, Buddhists make merit by buying small gold flakes and placing them on statues of the Buddha or other holy objects.
Even to non-Buddhists, gold can be seen as symbolizing spiritual awakening and enlightenment and the spiritual path towards that goal.
Interestingly, one of the most popular strains of the psilocybin mushroom Psilocybe cubensis is known as “Golden Teacher”, so named for its powerful entheogenic properties.
11. Good luck
Finally, gold is also seen as bringing good luck, and many lucky charms and amulets are made from it.
This means you may be able to change your luck by wearing a piece of gold jewelry, and you can drive out negative energy and bring better luck to a room or building by incorporating gold into a ritual of purification carried out there.
A beautiful metal with rich spiritual and cultural symbolism
As we’ve seen, gold is a metal with powerful cultural significance. It is deeply rooted in our collective psyche, frequently appearing in countless myths, legends and folk tales while also featuring in countless sayings and expressions that we use without thinking almost every day.
Although it has some negative connotations due to its ability to corrupt and seduce, it also symbolizes positivity, warmth, success, riches, wealth and abundance.
It is also highly symbolic of spiritual development and growth and the ultimate goal of reaching spiritual enlightenment.
